Kevin blinked at him as his mind raced. “I don’t…I mean, I have no idea. I thought they were with you guys.” He pointed to where he thought the coastline might be. “Out there, I mean.”
The man sighed heavily and uncrossed his arms. A steel-like finger jabbed Kevin in the sternum, causing his body to jerk unceremoniously. “They ran off, bookworm. Where did they go?”
Kevin crumpled and twisted away from the abuse. “I have no idea!” His face contorted in rage. “And quit poking me, for cryin’ out loud.” He stepped away from the uniformed man and tried to straighten his lab coat. “I promise you, I am the last person they would confide in.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning this lab is just like fucking high school. I wasn’t part of the ‘in’ crowd.” Kevin inhaled deeply and blew it out hard. “In fact, I still strongly suspect that they used me as a lab rat for their so-called ‘cure.’”
The soldier raised a brow at him and stepped closer, causing Kevin to step behind the center island, keeping as much of the cabinetry between them as possible. “Who would they confide in, then?”
Kevin shook his head. “Each other. They weren’t exactly the trusting types.”
“You mean to tell me that you worked side by side with them every day and you didn’t hear anything?”
“That’s EXACTLY what I’m telling you, you thick-headed sack of—” Kevin froze, his eyes widening. “I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean to say that.” He pressed a palm to his mouth and backed further from the soldier.
The man’s brows knit together and he stepped closer, causing Kevin to step back and away, putting the island between them again. “Where would they go?”
“How should I know?” Kevin’s voice cracked as he felt panic rise from his guts. “I swear, they didn’t breathe a word of it to me. I didn’t know they were gone…or even going anywhere until that gorilla came in here and tackled me.”
“I don’t think I believe you,” the soldier growled low.
Kevin squared his shoulders and glared at him. “I don’t give a flying FUCK what you believe.” His hand shot out and he threw a beaker at the soldier, narrowly missing him. He was advancing, coming around the corner, fists balled and adrenaline pumping through him before his true nature took over and he collapsed to the ground. “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t…”
The soldier stepped forward and watched as Kevin rolled into a defensive ball, a wet stain growing at the crotch of his khakis. “What the hell?”
“I don’t know what came over me,” Kevin whined as he pressed his arms closer to his face, defensively. “Please don’t.”
The soldier stepped back and turned toward the door. He gave a slight shake of his head before stepping away. “He doesn’t know anything.”
A muffled voice could barely be heard from behind the door. “Are you certain?”
The soldier nodded. “He pissed himself. If he knew anything, he would have told us.”
Kevin kept his eyes squeezed shut and heard the laboratory door open then close. He remained in the defensive posture for far too long, unsure if the men had left.
When he finally lowered his arms and opened his eyes, he was indeed alone. The warm piss that had soaked his pants was now cold and he shivered slightly as he came to his feet. He glanced around the lab and felt his jaw quivering as he braced himself on the counter. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered to himself.
Kevin turned for the door, intending to return to his stateroom to change. He paused, then squinted. “Sheesh, these lights are killing my eyes.”
Simon waited for the sun to begin setting. He could almost feel the anxiety in the air as he stepped out of the convenience store. He had long since finished the jerky and felt more than full after drinking nearly two entire gallons of water.
With his shotgun propped across his shoulder and a bottle of whiskey hanging from his finger he sauntered across the paved road, his eyes hidden behind the aviator sunglasses. He studied the entrance to the hotel and half expected a greeting party of useful idiots.
He stepped up onto the cement sidewalk and ignored the loose trash blowing past his feet. He strode toward the double glass entrance and used the barrel of the shotgun to push the door open. He tried to announce his arrival with a smart assed, “Lucy, I’m hoooome!”
Instead it came out as a cross between a howl and a growl. He cursed to himself as he tried to control his tongue, to force actual words to come out. The best he could manage sounded as if he had gargled with broken glass and accidentally inhaled it.
He detected movement in the shadows and reached up to remove the sunglasses before he realized he could see just fine. His head snapped side to side as the once empty hallways filled with curious onlookers.
He took a deep breath and tried to say, “Bring it you bitches.” What came out of his mouth sounded nothing like human language.
Still, the infected that were slowly approaching seemed cautiously aware that this lone stranger standing in their midst was dangerous. They rocked slowly side to side, their eyes gauging him, measuring him up before they dared to act.
A lone Rager pushed his way through the crowd, howling as he closed the distance to Simon. Simon turned and immediately recognized the asshole with the pipe in his hand.
It didn’t take much deduction for him to realize that: “he who held the bluntest weapon, ruled.” The Rager pushed his way through the crowd and stepped into the lobby of the hotel.
The last remaining licks of sunlight were sending eerie orange and red shadows across the cityscape as the leader of the Ragers slowly circled Simon, the pipe held over his head and his howls echoing through the hallways of the hotel. Simon
